E1324 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks July 25, 2012 

HONORING DEBRA MALINA, PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF NURSE ANESTHETISTS 

HON. JANICE D. SCHAKOWSKY OF ILLINOIS

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, July 25, 2012 

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, today I 

rise to pay tribute to Debra Malina, CRNA, 

DNSc, MBA. Ms. Malina will soon complete 

her year as national president of the American 

Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA). I 

am very pleased that Ms. Malina was tapped 

as the 2011–2012 President of this prestigious 

national organization. 

Founded in 1931, the AANA is the professional organization that represents more than 

44,000 practicing Certified Registered Nurse 

Anesthetists (CRNAs) and Student Nurse Anesthetists who will become CRNAs. CRNAs 

are advanced practice registered nurses who 

administer approximately 32 million anesthetics to patients each year. They work in 

every setting in which anesthesia is delivered, 

including hospital surgical suites and obstetrical delivery rooms, ambulatory surgical centers, and the offices of dentists, podiatrists, 

and all types of specialty surgeons. They also 

provide acute and chronic pain management 

services to patients in need of such care. 

CRNAs provide anesthesia for all types of surgical cases and, in some states, are the sole 

anesthesia providers in 100% of rural hospitals, ensuring that these facilities can offer 

their communities obstetrical, surgical, and 

trauma stabilization services. 

The American Association of Nurse Anesthetists is headquartered in my district, and 

President Malina has served the association 

extremely well and helped to improve health 

care for all Americans. A CRNA for 15 years, 

Ms. Malina received her doctorate in nursing 

science from the University of Tennessee in 

Memphis, Tennessee, and her master’s degree in business administration from Madison 

University in Gulfport, Mississippi. Additionally, 

she earned her master’s degree in anesthesiology from Barry University in Miami Shores, 

Florida and a bachelor’s degree in nursing 

from Florida International University in Miami. 

In addition to her current service as AANA 

President, Ms. Malina has held various leadership positions in the AANA, including President-elect, Treasurer, Region 2 Director, and 

member of the Finance Committee. Ms. 

Malina has also served as the AANA Association Management Services director. In addition, she is a former president of the Tennessee Association of Nurse Anesthetists and 

has served on numerous committees on the 

state and national levels. She was also an advanced practice nursing member of the Tennessee Board of Nursing. 

Adding to her professional accomplishments, Ms. Malina has effectively used her experience in education and CRNA practice to 

inform the public about the safety, value and 

cost-effectiveness of CRNA care. During her 

AANA Presidency, Ms. Malina has played important roles in advocating for the practice of 

nurse anesthesia and its patients before Medicare and other federal agencies and with 

members of the Congress of the United 

States. She has worked tirelessly to promote 

the facts that CRNAs help make healthcare 

work better and cost less. 

Let me give just two examples of her leadership. The Institute of Medicine reports that 

100 million Americans suffer from chronic intractable pain, which costs more than twothirds of a trillion dollars each year in medical 

and economic costs. Ms. Malina has demonstrated leadership in urging Medicare to restore direct reimbursement for pain management services provided by CRNAs—a move 

that will improve care for patients and reduce 

unnecessary costs. Ms. Malina and her national organization were also crucial in supporting provisions included in the recently-enacted Food and Drug Administration user fee 

reauthorization to combat critical shortages of 

anesthesia and other drugs. 

Mr. Speaker, I rise to ask my colleagues to 

join me today in recognizing the outgoing 

President of the American Association of 

Nurse Anesthetists, Ms. Debra Malina, CRNA, 

DNSc, MBA, for her notable career and outstanding achievements. 

f 

SOUTHERN PINES IS AN ALLAMERICA CITY 

HON. HOWARD COBLE OF NORTH CAROLINA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, July 25, 2012 

Mr. COBLE. Mr. Speaker, we are excited to 

report that a city in the Sixth District of North 

Carolina has been nationally cited for its efforts to promote literacy. This is a prime example of where hard work pays off for Southern 

Pines, North Carolina. The plan to improve 

reading through the resources of a coalition of 

business, government and civic leaders has 

resulted in Southern Pines being named as an 

All-America City. 

Due to Southern Pines’ development of a 

sensible and sustainable plan to increase 

grade-level reading proficiency by the end of 

the third grade, the National Civic League presented Southern Pines with the prestigious AllAmerica City award on July 2, 2012, during 

the Grade-Level Reading Communities Network Conference and All-America City Award 

celebration. Southern Pines Library Director 

Lynn Thompson and her husband Bob Howell, 

Boys and Girls Club Executive Director Caroline Eddy, as well as PineStraw Magazine’s 

Cos Barnes, accepted the award while representing Southern Pines during the conference in Denver. 

With the efforts of leaders in the community 

such as The Country Bookshop, Southern 

Pines Public Library, and Boys and Girls Club 

expanding their summer reading programs, 

they have renewed the enthusiasm for elementary literacy. ‘‘I think the award recognizes 

what a great community this is to live in,’’ 

Mayor David McNeill told The Pilot. ‘‘I congratulate everyone who has worked so hard 

on this project, but the kids are the real winners. The efforts that they will put forth to improve their reading skills will benefit them for 

a lifetime.’’ 

Deserving thanks and credit for their hard 

work and effort towards elementary literacy include Southern Pines Public Library, Boys and 

Girls Clubs of Sandhills, Moore County Chamber of Commerce, Moore County Literacy 

Council, Moore County NAACP, Partners for 

Children and Families, Sandhills Children’s 

Center, and United Way of Moore County. 

Also deserving recognition for this prestigious 

award is Southern Pines Town Manager 

Reagan Parsons. 

On behalf of the citizens of the Sixth District 

of North Carolina, we congratulate Southern 

Pines for being named as an All-America City. 

The city called its campaign, ‘‘Southern Pines 

Grows Great Leaders,’’ and we are thrilled 

that the National Civic League agrees with us 

that Southern Pines is a great place to learn 

and live. 

f 

OUR UNCONSCIONABLE NATIONAL 

DEBT 

HON. MIKE COFFMAN OF COLORADO

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, July 25, 2012 

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, 

on January 20, 2009, the day President 

Obama took office, the national debt was 

$10,626,877,048,913.08. 

Today, it is $15,882,491,122,065.69. We’ve 

added $5,255,614,073,152.61 to our debt in 

just over 3 years. This is debt our Nation, our 

economy, and our children could have avoided 

with a balanced budget amendment. 

f 

IN RECOGNITION OF ERIC 

UPTAGRAFFT PARTICIPATING IN 

THE 2012 OLYMPICS 

HON. MIKE ROGERS OF ALABAMA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, July 25, 2012 

Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I 

ask for the House’s attention today to recognize Sgt. 1st Class Eric Uptagrafft. Eric will 

participate in the 2012 Olympics in London. 

Uptagrafft, of Phenix City, Alabama, is the 

rifle instructor for the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit. He competed in the 1996 Atlanta 

Olympics finishing 30th. Uptagrafft spent 

seven years engineering a new rifle with gunsmiths and through the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit’s custom firearms unit. 

Uptagrafft’s wife, Sandra, will also be participating in the 2012 London Olympics. The couple will celebrate their anniversary while in 

London on August 5th. 

Mr. Speaker, I offer my congratulations to 

Eric and best wishes to him and his wife in the 

Olympics and a happy anniversary. 

f 

DR. JOHN EVANS ATTA MILLS 

HON. CORRINE BROWN OF FLORIDA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, July 25, 2012 

Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise 

today in remembrance of Dr. John Evans Atta 

Mills, President of the Republic of Ghana. I 

was saddened to hear about the untimely 

death of President Mills. My thoughts, prayers 

and condolences go to his wife, family and the 

people of Ghana. The World has lost a leader, 

visionary and champion for democracy. 

President Mills pledged his life to education 

and the betterment of his beloved Ghana. He 


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